Valve



Patented Nolv.5, 1946 VALVE J. D. Buchanan, Burbank, Calif. Application November 15, 1943, Serial No. 510,389

` 4 claim,.- (ol. 251-76) The invention relates to a valve and particularly to a valve for controlling high pressure such as 1,000 pounds per square inch and more, as employed in modern hydraulics, and wherein the valve head mustt on its seat with a very close tolerance to prevent leakage at such pressures.

It has heretofore been proposed to employ a valve head which is integral with a valve stem, and this necessitates that thebore in which the `valve stem slides with respect to the valve seat must be coaxial'therewith` to the same closel tolerance as that required between the valve head and its seat. This increases the cost of making such valves and in working to these close tolerances for all the working parts, as stated.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the cost 'and simplify the manufacture of such V valves while maintaining the desired close tolerance'between the valve head and its seat, while permitting slight eccentricity between the valve seat and the valve stem bearing.

'I'his is accomplished by not making the valve head integral with the valve stem, but instead by supporting it on the stem with provision-for lateral displacement of the valve head with respect to the valve stem. In this way the valve'stem and valve head need not be exactly coaxial, while nevertheless an accurate fit between the valve head and its seat is possible.

For further details of the invention, reference may be made to the drawingwherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of a well known valve system employing this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the valve of this invention.

. `Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the valve -of this invention, generally indicated at i, may

be employed to control a high pressure uid having a pressure of 1,000 pounds per square inch or more in the supply pipe 2. to move the piston `3 in one direction or another, as is well known. For this purpose, the valve i, as usual, is also provided with two outlet lines l and 5 communicating with opposite sides of the piston 3 and with two return lines 6 and l. The piston 3 may be connected to any suitable load to be reciprocated in response to the sliding movement of the valve stem 8.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a valve I has a casing comprising a cylindrical shell 9 having end caps i0 and il, all of which may be made of aluI- minum. Cap i0 is secured to the left end of the the improved valve of shell 8 by suitable means such as screws I2. The cap I 0 is imperforate and a sealing ring I3 is arranged between cap I0 and the left end of shell 9 to prevent leakage. Fitting in the shell 9 is a hollow cylindrical valve seat Il having e. cooperating cylindrical valve head I5 mounted on resilient ring seals I8 and Il on the valve stem d. Fitting in the shell 9 against the left end of the valve seat I4 is a bearing block I8 having a cylindrical bore I8 in which the piston 20 slidingly ts. The piston 20 has a ring seal 2i and it is loosely mounted on a reduced portion of the valve stem 8 indicated at 22. The left end of the valve stem portion 22 is threaded as indlcated at 23 to receive a nut 20 which clamps the piston 2| against the valve h'ead I5,urglng the latter against a piston 25 which is fixed on the valve stem 0. Piston 26 has a sealing ring 20 and it slidingly tsin a bore' 27 the same size as the bore I0, and arranged in the bearing block 28 at the right end of the valve seat it. The nut 20 is suitably locked in place with enough clearance between the valve head it and the pistons 20 and 20 to permit valve head i5 to displace laterally with respect to valve stem 0. This clearance may be of the order of one thousandth oi an inch, a clearance too large for the fit between the valve head I5 and its seat it. One or both of the seat it and the valve head i5 is or are hardened, steel, groundand lapped surfaces, chromium plated and tting together witlli a very close tolerance such as .0001 or .0002 inc Pistons 20 and 2E are preferably oi steel, and their cooperating 'slide bearings in the blocks i8 and 20 are preferably of bronze. l

Valve head it is provided with three annular grooves such as 20, each having a width greater inlet pipe 2 is not communicated to either outlet @l or 0, by means of a compression spring 3| which bears at its right end against a washer 32 which bears against the right end of the bearing block 28.;

Cap IIIhas an annular extension I' which fits in. the shell 8, and cap I I has a similar extension II', which bears against the outer ends of blocks I8 and 28 respectively to compress them tightly against the ends of the valve seat Il; Cap Il has screws 45.

'I'he valve seat It has live spaced annular grooves or passageways 44, with one of the annular ribs or valve portions 3u between adjacent grooves M. The two outer grooves M communicate with the return pipes 8 and 1 respectively, The central groove 44 communicates with the inlet 2, and the other two grooves 44 are connected to the `outlets l and 5. In order to cushion the movement of valve I5, a restricted outlet 38 and 39 may be provided between each end of valve I and the adjacent return 1 and 8 respectively. With the valve I5 in neutral position as shown in Fig. 2, spaces 40 and 4I exist between the left and right ends of valve head I5 and the adjacent bearing blocks IB and 28 respectively. When valve stem is moved to the right, space l0 increases in size until the left end of valve head I5 uncovers the groove M connected to return 1, whereupon iluid flows from return 1 into space IIJ. Space 40 communicates with restricted outlet 38 through an annular groove 42 in the bearing block I8, and a similar groove 43 is providedv in the bearing block 28. When the valve head I5 is later moved to the left, its movement is cushioned, as the uld in space 40 must pass through the restricted outlet 38. When valve head I5 is moved to the left, the right end of valve head I5 uncovers the groove 44 connected to return 6 to admit uid to space 4I. Restricted outlet 39 cushions the movement ofvvalve head I5 to the right. Hence valve I5 is cushioned in both directions.

It will be apparent that the cost oi' constructing the valve has been reduced through eliminatingthe necessity for machining the interior of valve seat Il to be exactly coaxial with the valve stem bearings in the blocks I8 and 28, by reason of the'fact that the valve head I5 in effect iloats on the ring seal I5 and I1, and hence the valve head I5 may very accurately iit its seat I4 even though there is substantial eccentricity between the valve stem 8 (or the valve stem bearings in blocks I8 and 28) and the bore of valve seat I4.

It will be apparent that the valve may be used for either high or low pressures, and that various modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the followingy claims. For example, instead of using two sealing rings I8 and I1, only one central sealing ring Vmay be used.

I claim:

1. A valve comprising the combination of a valve stem, a bearing therefor, a hollow cylindrical valve seat, said bearing and said seat being relatively eccentric, a. cylindrical -valve head fitting said seat with. close tolerance, abutment means on said valve stem for imparting valve opening and closing movement to said valve head with a tolerance permitting lateral displacement of said valve head on said valve stem, and 'resilient sealing means supporting said valve head V valve stem at each end of said valve head, means for retaining said-valve head between said piston heads witha tolerance permitting lateral movement of said valve head on said valve stem, spaced resilient ring seals cn said valve stem supporting said valve head for lateral displacement, and a bearing at each end of said valve head, each of said bearings having a bore in which one oi said piston heads slidingly its.

3. A valve comprising the combination oi a hollow cylindrical valve seat having inlet, outlet and return ports, a cylindrical valve head slidably fitting in said seat with a close tolerance, a valve stem in said valve head, resilient sealing means supporting said valve head on said valve stem, a

fixed piston on said valve stem at one end of said valve head, a second piston slidably iitting on said valve stem at the other end of said valve head, means for retaining said second piston in position with said valve head between said pistons with a tolerance permitting lateral displacement of said valve head with respect to said valve stem, and spaced bearings each having a. bore in which one ofsaid pistons slidably flts,-whereby the coaxiality of said bores with respect to said valve seat may have a greater tolerance than the tolerance with which said valve head ts said valve seat. v

4. A valve comprising the combination of a hollow cylindrical valve seat, a cylindrical valve head slidablyfitting in said seat with a close tolerance, said valve head having a cylindrical bore, a valve stem extending through said bore and smaller in size than said bore, resilient sealing means in the bore of said valve head and arranged between said valve head and said valve stem, said sealing means supporting said valve head for oating movement on said valve stem,

valve head in position on said valve stem with a tolerance permitting said valve head to iit said seat with a close tolerance even though the axis of said valve seat is offset and substantially parallel to the axis of said valve stem and even though the axis of said valve seat intersects the axis of said valve stem at a point beyond said valve head, whereby the coaxiality of said valve stem bearings with respect to said valve seat may have a greater tolerance than the tolerance with which said valve head ts said valve seat.

J. D. BUCHANAN. 

